_Making Workbenches_, by Sam Allen, Sterling 1995, $14.95 pb, 160 pages.

As a novice woodworker, I was encouraged to acquire a good workbench.
Since a novice needs practice building things, I wanted to build one.
This book suited my needs perfectly, giving plans for a simple "Joiner's
Bench", as well as for a fine, all-maple, classic-looking
"Cabinetmaker's Workbench". I'm sure the latter would be of interest to
many more advanced woodworkers, but I will save it for another day.

The chapters:

    Workbench Fundamentals
    Vises
    The Joiner's Bench
    The Classic Cabinetmaker's Workbench
    Workbench Accessories
    Using a Workbench
    Workbench Storage Space
    Outfitting Your Bench for Specialty Work
    Outfitting Your Bench with Bench Tools
    Outfitting Your Bench with Supplies

His chapters on accessories and bench use are quite valuable for the
beginner, but probably less so for the experienced worker. The book has
an index, but no references to other works or supplier information. It
is well-illustrated, with many black-and-white photos.

The legs of the "Joiner's Bench" are built from simple dimensional
lumber, positioned with unglued dowels and stiffened with two courses of
threaded torsion rod. The rods fit into grooves routed into the leg
stretchers. The dowels also keep the stretchers from twisting. He
specifies fir; I used cedar for the legs and pine for the stretchers,
these being all I could get at my local lumberyard. The assembled base
is quite firm.

He gives several options for a bench top--I chose his method of gluing
and tacking three layers of 3/4" particle board, surfaced on the top and
edges with 1/4" tempered hardboard which is attached with contact
cement. The top is 24" deep and can be anywhere from 48" to 72" long on
the same base. I chose the longest value and was surprised at the weight
of the finished top. I don't know what I expected from 36 square feet of
3/4" particle board. Six feet is probably longer than I need.

I found that the corners tended to separate when the glue dried. I
introduced more glue and applied clamps. Next time I would use slightly
longer nails and pay particular attention to the edges and again use clamps
on the corners.

The particle board layers were not quite even at the edges and I smoothed
them with a belt sander before attaching the hardboard skin. I should have
been more careful during gluing.

Per his advice, I drilled a matrix of 48 (!) round dog holes, spaced 6"
apart and covering the entire surface of the top. Because I wanted
identical spacing between each hole, I created a little jig to help with
the drilling. Two dowels attached to a small piece of plywood fit into
existing holes, and a drill stand was bolted over the position of the next
hole to be drilled. This was not very successful; I learned that a small
jig cannot produce well-aligned holes over a large surface. Next time I
would make a longer jig, or simply measure and drill carefully.

There are additional dog holes on the edges of the top and on the legs.

The top attaches to the base with wooden clips, fixed with lag bolts. The
top can be removed and the base disassembled for moving. He recommends
finishing the base with Danish oil, which I have not yet done.

The entire bill for the bench materials, excluding vises, was about $90. I
could have knocked about $35 off of that if I had gone to the big city for
materials, but I was "supporting my local lumberyard". They cut all of the
materials to size, which was a great help given the state of my shop. I
borrowed a router to cut the grooves in the stretchers, make the wooden
clips and trim the hardboard skin, and bought a drill guide and doweling
jig so I cut make straight holes with my electric hand drill. No other
power tools were required.

Each of the two vises cost more than the bench itself. The front vise is a
10" Jorgensen Rapid Acting, and the tail vise a Veritas twin-screw which
extends across the entire 24" depth of the table. I have installed the
first and am still working on the second.

I am uncertain how well the hardboard skin will hold up. If it erodes too
drastically, I will either glue another layer over it, or make a hardwood
top.

* * *

This review will be archived at:

    <http://watershade.net/wmcclain/bench.txt>

-Bill <wmcclain@watershade.net>